Making the Switch

At the age of 50, Michael Liew decided to leave corporate life and lean into his creative urges. From the green frog etching on his face mask, to the interconnected ropes on his denim shirt, and the geometric design on his Onitsuka Tiger sneakers, he is a walking, talking advertisement of what he now does for a living—customised handpainting on apparel and leather accessories. In actuality, he started doing this more than 20 years ago before the onset of his corporate career. He’d work with a tailor, offering customised designs should their customers want to make their tailored outfit look special. But it fizzled as more work and raising a family came